From Library Assistant Becky Ruud

Today marks the celebration of the 449th birthday of William Shakespeare. The church registry lists William Shakespeare’s baptism on April 26, 1564, and it can be assumed that Shakespeare was born a few days before that. This date is also the same day that he died in 1616, making a very convenient day to celebrate both  his birth and death. Our Shakespeare collection here at the Clark includes many folios, quartos, and illustrated editions by Eric Gill and others, including my favorite edition illustrated by John Austen (see illustrations from the 1922 edition of Hamlet below), and much more.

We are also proud to have the Chrzanowski collection, a well-rounded donation of works likely read by William Shakespeare, used as his sources, and/or those important to the development of the English language. For a detailed summary of the Chrzanowski collection please visit our website.